Lunchtime bounce is seemingly turning into a tradition at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. This is the third year in a row that Big Freedia, Katey Red and Sissy Nobby have filled the first or second slot of the day at the Congo Square Stage, and while the late-morning sun isn't the customary lighting for the sweaty, hyperactive dance parties they preside over, Fest crowds still get into it. Big Freedia's authoritative, deep-voiced holler - "bend over like I told ya!"- is a heck of a wakeup.

The video for Katey Red's new single, "Where Da Melph At," earned over 117,000 views on the WorldStarHipHop.com site in the first week of its release. Big Freedia has a new EP, a video of her own and a vinyl 12" of "Azz Everywhere," a party-starter that's becoming her new signature tune.

And Sissy Nobby, whose soup-to-nuts D.I.Y. ethic (he records and produces his own tracks, self-releasing them online and promoting via a popular Youtube channel) and unusually personal lyrics has made him one of the most interesting artists in 21st-century bounce, dropped the album "Suicidal Bounce" last week.

I arrived late and missed Nobby's early turn onstage. When I arrived, Katey Red, who was not officially booked, had taken the stage with Big Freedia, done up in Jazz Fest chic - flowing blond curls and an ethereal white dress with a red sash. Nobby, Freedia and Katey get disproportionate attention for being gay, and in Katey's case, transgendered in the traditionally homophobic arena of Southern hip-hop. But the novelty would have worn off without crowd-moving skills, and all three have those in spades.

Freedia and Katey did a medley of duets, including "Big Freddy K-Reddy," "Stupid," and "N---s Playa Hatin," demonstrating how well Freedia's low, full-bodied rumble and Katey's high yowl play off each other. The two have been performing together since high school, and their easy camaraderie shows onstage. Katey's the cut-up; Freedia's the authoritarian, directing the crowd to shake harder and bend lower to DJ Poppa's speedy brownbeats.

Energy flagged in the hot sun at the unshaded Congo Square area at noon. Even the dancers onstage flapped their T-shirts to create a breeze, resting on the DJ platform between songs. The will to bend and pop it was a little weak. But still, when Freedia called out, "This song is self-explanatory: 'Azz Everywhere!'" suddenly, there was.